1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments broadly relate to sharing channel thumbnails by using a television (TV) cloud network, and more particularly, to channel display apparatuses that secure real-time channel thumbnails with respect to a plurality of channels by sharing a thumbnail that is secured by each of display apparatuses and methods of controlling the channel display apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a method of providing a channel thumbnail to facilitate the selection of a channel by a user, a real-time channel thumbnail which is a real-time captured still image may be provided in the most recent program of each of the channels.
However, in order to ensure a plurality of real-time channel thumbnails in a short time, a plurality of channel tuners are required. When a channel guide, for example, an electronic program guide (EPG) is executed, approximately 5 to 10 real-time channel thumbnails per page may be simultaneously required. However, a general TV includes only two tuners, that is, a main channel tuner and a second channel tuner.
When a real-time channel thumbnail is generated by using the second channel tuner, if there are many channels, it takes an excessively long time to acquire real-time channel thumbnails of all channels. Accordingly, when processing the real-time channel thumbnails by using only one channel tuner, that is, the second channel tuner, a long time may be required to acquire and display several real-time channel thumbnails.
Also, in the case of acquiring a real-time channel thumbnail through a broadcaster, there may be sometimes cases in which the broadcaster does not provide the real-time channel thumbnail, and thus, it is difficult to configure a consistent user environment.
Also, in order to display the channels in content groups of the same kind, rather than by a channel browsing type of the related art, and in order to display a channel combination of real-time channel thumbnails in a random order, it is difficult to secure effective real-time channel thumbnails of each of the channels.
Accordingly, in the related art, there is a need to develop a method of rapidly securing a plurality of real-time channel thumbnails by using hardware of the related art.